Flight scraper for continuous chain type barn gutter cleaners



Aug. 12, 1958 R. e. FERRIS ETAL FLIGHT SCRAPER FOR CONTINUOUS CHAIN TYPE BARN GUTTER CLEANERS Originali Filed Feb. 21', 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I RJG. EERRIs EIAL 2,847,115

Aug 12,1958

FLIGHT scum FOR CONTINUOUS CHAIN TYPE BARN GUTTER CLEANERS Original Filed Feb. 21, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 zgyer' i=1. a. FERRIS a-rm.

, Aug. 12, 1958 2,847,115 FLIGHT SCRAPER FOR CONTINUOUS CHAIN TYPE BARN GUTTER CLEANERS 5 w 5 J a Q fi 32% m m 44 W K I m .r w a 4 n a .y, 9 A v 72 3 o z e 0 g Original Filed Feb. 21, 1955 United States Patent Ofiflce 2,847,l l Patented Aug. 12, 1958 FLIGHTSCRAPER FOR CONTINUOUS CHAIN TYPE BARN GUTTER CLEANERS Rbbert G. Ferris and Robert-L. Yuenger, Harvard, Ill.,

assignors to Starline, Inc., a corporation of Illinois 12 Claims. (Cl.r198-229) Thisinventionrelates toan improved scraper mechanism' for removing refuse from the conveyor flights of a continuous chaintype barn gutter cleaner; and in particular it relates to a mechanism Which may be used either witha right hand or a left handcleaner and which is constructed toposition the scraper at the optimum scraping angle as it traverses the length of'a flight.

Continuous chain type barn gutter cleaners have a chain which travels along the inner edge of the barn gutter and is provided with conveyor flights extending across the gutter; The conveyor chain may be arranged to pass throughall'the' gutters in a cow barnand move the refuse irr-the guttenonto a trough which projects outwardly from a gutter end'and has an open outer end off which the flights push the gutter refuse so that it may drop intoawa'gon' or manure spreader. A sprocket is mounted adjacent the outer end of thetrough, and the chain carrying theflights passes around thesprocket onto a return troughal'ong which it'returns tothe barn and enters another gutter.

As eachflight passes off the trough and swings around the-sprocket it is desirable'to scrapethe-front' face and the-topfaceof the flight to' cleanfrom it any clinging refuse. The-present invention'relates to an improved mechanism to scrape the flights;

Barngutter cleaners are-usually designated as right hand or left'= hand, depending upon the direction in which th'echain travels,- Obviously, a scraper must contact'a flight somewherein thevicinity of the outgoing trough and-traverse the flight as it swings around the sprocket towardthe return trough; so' that the mounting of-the scraper mechanism differs depending upon the directionoftravel' of the conveyor with which it is used. Thepresent'invention provides a universal scraper mechanism-which is adaptable to either a right hand or a left handcleaner, and- Which need not be-constructed in right hand and 'lefthand models;

Flight scrapers have commonly been made from a piece ofheavygaugesheet steel, andhave one edge which rides alongthe faee-of the'flight anda'second edge-which is-perpendicular'to the first edge and'rides along the top of the flight. we have discovered that if-the scraper bladerocks "with respect to the front of'the' flight' as' it traverses the flight the scraper "edge rapidly becomes rounded "so that it no longer does an efl'ectivescraping jobl The present mechanism'positions the scraper blade inthe-path-ofthe innerend "portionof a flight leaving the *trough, immediately adjacent thecontinuous chain, and perpendicular to the line of travel of the flight. The scraperm'echanism is so'constructed asto retain the perpendicular relationshipof the scraper to' the flight 'asith'e flight swings around the "sprocket;- so' thatjinsteadof rounding the scraping edge theaetionof the scraperon the front face of the-flight keeps'the scraper edgesharp.

Another featnre-of the present invention is that the scraper blade may 'swingtowardian acute angle with respecttoitheflightif itfstrikes aniobstruction on theflight suchras may be; caused bycrefuse freezing-1o; the front: or

a: top of the flight. Permitting the scraper blade to rock so that it may pass over a firmly adhered obstruction prevents damage tothe scraper mechanism;

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig.11 is a plan view of the power mountof a barn gutter cleaner equipped with the scraper mechanism of the present invention,,the scraper being in itsfree-riding" positionat the moment of contact with an advancing flight;

Fig. 2 is aside elevational view of the device;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing the attachment of a flight to a continuous chain;

Fig. 4 is a section taken as indicated along the line 4--l of Fig. 2 with the scraper in the position which it occupies as it is about to ride off the outer end of a flight swinging around the sprocket; and

Fig.5 is a fragmentary-side elevational view of the scraper blade to show it in scraping engagement'with a flight constructed from an angle member which is shown in'broken lines.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail and referring first to Figs. 1 and 3, a barn gutter cleaner has a central frame indicated generally at 10 at one side of which is secured a refuse delivery trough 11 and at the other side of which'is secured a return trough 12. Supported on the frame 10 is an upright bracket 13 to receive'a'gear box 14 on top of which is mounted a grooved drive pulley 15 on a gear box shaft 16, the drive pulley 15 being connected by a suitable belt (not shown) with a drive pulley' on a motor '(not shown). Extending outwardly from-the bracket 13 and the gear box 15 is'a longitudinal bracket 17 at 'the outer end of which is a bearing'hub 18 for aconveyor drive shaft 19 which extends downwardly and has a drive sprocket 24) 'at its uptrained aroundrthe three-toothed'sprocket 21 onto thereturntrough 12, is a conveyor chain 25 which, as best seen in Figs. 2 and 3, has alternate block links 25a and open links 25b. Secured to the bottom of every other open link25b 'is a conveyor flight 26 which extends entirely across the delivery trough 11 to carry refuse from the barn gutter along and off the outer end 11a of the trough where the refuse may drop into a wagon or manure spreader. The flight maybe either a channel member 26,asshown in Figs. 2 and 3, or an anglemember 126, as shown in'Fig; 5 Insofar as the operation of the scraper is concerned, it is immaterial whether the flight is an angle member or a channel member.

The mechanism as heretofore described is that of a commerciallyavailable barn gutter cleaner manufactured by applicants assignee. The present invention resides in the scraper mechanism which will now be described. Referring further to Figs. 1 and 3, the scraper mechanism includes a mounting bracket, indicated generally at 27, which has 'a mountingportion 28 bolted to the frame 10 at 29;on the side toward the'return trough 12. The bracket has a supporting portion 30 which extends outwardlylfrom the end of the frame and is angledslightly outwardly from a plane through the side of the frame. 10. At the outer end of .the supporting portion 30 of the bracket is a hollow bearing 31 which is open at both ends sothat' the bracket may be mounted either as shown, or in an inverted positioruon the opposite side'ofthe frame 10 if the travel of the'conveyor chain is the reverse of that shown intheidrawingsu The brack 27 has a stiffening web 32 welded to the fastening portion 28 and the supporting portion 30 across the angle between those portions.

As best seen in Fig. 3, a scraper carrying arm 33 has a mounting stub 34. extending through the hollow bearing 31, and a scraper stub 35 at its free end which is parallel to the mounting stub 34. The scraper carrying arm 33 is in a plane parallel to the plane of the conveyor chain 25. Mounted on the scraper stub 35 is a scraper unit indicated generally at 36 which includes a bracket 37 having a bearing sleeve 33 which rotatably embraces the scraper stub 35 and is held thereon by means of a suitable drive pin 39. A scraper blade 40 is welded to the lower end of the sleeve 33 beneath and on a plane through the longitudinal center line of the bracket 37. The scraper blade 40 has an upright scraping edge 41 parallel to the front face 25a of a flight 25 and a riding edge 42 at right angles to the scraping edge which is adapted to ride along the top face 261) of a flight 26.

Mounted on top of the bracket 37 in the plane of its longitudinal center line is a pair of studs 43 and 44. As best seen in Fig. 2, the stud 43 includes a bolt 45, a nut 46, a short spacer bushing 47 and a pair of washers 48, while the stud 44 is similar except that it has a long spacer bushing 49.

Fixedly secured to the bearing 31 on mounting bracket 2'7 is a cable bracket 50 which has a keyhole slot to receive a cable 51 having a retaining button 51a engaged behind the cable bracket 50 and a loop 51b encircling the stud 43 between the washers 48. As seen in Fig. l, the cable is drawn tight between the cable bracket 50 and the stud 43, and bears against the side of the bearing 31. The scraper mechanism is completed by a heavy tension actuating spring 52 which has a hook 52a at one end secured to the mounting stub 34 of the scraper carrying arm 33, and a hook 52b at the other end which is hooked around the stud 44 above the long spacer bushing 49 and between washers 48 on said stud. A drive pin 34a and washer 53 on the mounting stub 34 overlie the hook 52a on the spring 52 and a washer 53 is positioned beneath the spring. A drive pin 34b at the bottom of stub 34 prevents lifting of the arm 33 in the bearing 31, and several spare washers 53 may be supported on the drive pin 34b, and any required number of them may be mounted under the spring hook 52a in order to properly adjust the height of the scraper carrying arm 33 with respect to the conveyor flights 26.

In the operation of the scraper mechanism the tension actuating spring 52 is so adjusted as normally to swing A the scraper carrying arm 33 in the bearing 31 to the free riding position of Fig. l in which the scraper blade 40 rides against the side of the conveyor chain 25. The cable 51 is drawn taut between the cable bracket 50 and the stud 43 so that it acts as a scraper rocker member in the operation of the mechanism. The scraper carrying arm 33 forms an acute angle with respect to a flight 26 contacting the scraper blade 40 in the position of Fig. l, and the blade is perpendicular to the flight. As the flight moves outward and swings around the three-toothed sprocket 21 the flight 26 pushing against the scraper blade 40 swings the scraper carrying arm 33 in the hollow bearing 31 so that the scraper blade 4-0 traverses the flight from its inner end to its outer end, and ultimately assumes the position shown in Fig. 4 where it rides off the end of the conveyor flight. The swinging movement of the scraper carrying arm 33 and scraper bracket 37 causes the cable 51 to wrap partially around the bearing 31, which gives a camming pull on the cable to rock the scraper bracket 37 about the scraper stub 35 as the scraper blade traverses the flight so as to retain the scraper blade in its perpendicular position with respect to the front face 26a of the flight. This rocking movement of the scraper bracket 37 stretches the actuating spring 52, so that when the scraper blade rides off the 4 I end of the flight the actuating spring returns the arm 33 to the free riding position shown in Fig. 1.

The use of a scraper rocker member in the form of a cable permits the scraper blade 40 and bracket 37 to rock to an acute angle with respect to the front face 26a of the flight if the scraper blade encounters a fixed or firmly adhered obstruction on the face of the flight, which merely releases the tension in the cable momentarily and stretches the actuating spring 52 an additional amount to permit the scraper blade to ride more easily over the obstruction.

As previously pointed out, the mounting bracket 27 may be inverted and mounted on the side opposite that upon which it is shown in the drawings; and when this is done the scraper carrying arm 33 is mounted extending in the opposite direction from that shown. By reversing the positions of the studs 43 and 44 on the scraper bracket 37 the attachments of the cable 51 and spring 52 to the scraper bracket 37 may be reversed so that they occupy the same positions relative to the path of movement of the shaft 33 as they do in the drawings. The scraper mechanism is then arranged to clean conveyor flights 26 which are traveling around the sprocket 21 in the reverse direction from that shown.

This application is a continuation of applicants copending application Serial No. 489,332, filed February 21, 1955, now Patent No. 2,795,319.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom, as some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. In a barn gutter cleaner having a trough with an open end, a sprocket mounted on a shaft journalled adjacent the open end of the trough, a continuous chain which travels around the sprocket, and spaced flights having their inner ends secured to the chain to carry refuse along and off the end of the trough, flight scraper means comprising: a mounting bracket fixedly secured adjacent the chain; a scraper carrying arm mounted on a pivot on said bracket for swinging movement in a plane generally parallel to the path of the flights traveling around the sprocket; a flight scraper mounted on a pivot on the free end of the arm, said scraper having an upright scraping edge generally parallel to the front face of a flight to scrape said face; means for rocking the scraper about its pivotal connection with the arm so that it normally lies at a constant angle to the front face of the flight as it traverses the flight; and means urging said arm toward a free-riding position with said scraping edge in the path of the inner end portion of a flight which has left the outer end of the trough, the relative positions of the sprocket shaft and the arm pivot being such that the scraper traverses the flight and rides off its outer end as the flight travels around the sprocket.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the means for rocking the scraper about its pivot includes a rocker member secured to the scraper and adapted to swing through substantially the same angular distance as that traversed by a flight during movement of the scraper along the flight face, and said rocker member is adapted to release its rocking force on the scraper when the latter strikes a relatively fixed obstruction on the flight face, whereby the scraper may turn rearwardly from its normal angle with respect to the flight and override said obstruction.

3. In a barn gutter cleaner having a trough with an open end, a sprocket mounted on a shaft journalled adjacent the open end of the trough, a continuous chain which travels around the sprocket, and spaced flights having their inner ends secured to the chain to carry refuse along and oif the end of the trough, flight scraper means comprising: a mounting bracket fixedly secured adjacent the chain; a scraper carrying arm mounted on a pivot on said bracket for swinging movement in a plane generally parallel to the path of the flights travelingaround the sprocket; a flight scraper mounted on a pivot. on thefree end of the arm; sai'd 'scraper-havin'g-an upright scraping edge genera iy parallel to the front face of aflight to" scrape'said face; a scraper rocker member extending from a point adjacent the pivot-for the arm toa point adjacent the pivot for the scraper, said rocker member being-adapted to rock the scraper about its pivot so 'that'it' normally lies at a constant-angle to the front face of the flight as it' traverses the flight; and means urging said arm toward a free-riding position with said scraping'edge" in the path of the inner end portion of'a' flight which has left the outer end of the trough, the relative positions of the sprocket shaft and the arm pivotbeing such" that "the scraper traverses the flight and rides off its outer end as the flight travels around the sprocket.

4. The deviceof'claim 3 inwhich the rocker member isra cable which is secured to the scraper at a point which is behind the pivot for the scraper with respect to the directionof movement of the end of the scraper arm as the'latter swings on its pivot, whereby the scraper may turn rearwardly from its normal constant angle with respect to the front face of the flight when itstr'ikes a relatively fixed obstruction on said front face and override said obstruction.

5. The device ofclaim 4 in which the means urging the arin toward a free-riding position is a springpwhich is tensioned between the pivot for the scraper arm and a point on the scraper which is forward of the pivot for the scraper, whereby the turning of the scraper on its pivot stretches the spring.

6. In a barn gutter cleaner having a frame, a trough on the frame which has an open outer end, a continuous chain which travels around a sprocket mounted on a shaft journalled in the frame adjacent the outer end of the trough, and spaced flights having their inner ends secured to the chain to carry gutter refuse along and off the end of the trough, flight scraper means comprising: a mounting bracket on the frame adjacent the sprocket which extends outwardly so that a flight traveling around the sprocket swings toward it; a scraper carrying arm mounted on a pivot on the outer end of said bracket for swinging movement in a plane generally parallel to the path of the flights traveling around the sprocket; a cable bracket on the mounting bracket adjacent the scraper arm pivot; a scraper bracket mounted on the pivot at the free end of the scraper arm; a scraper plate mounted on said bracket; spring means urging the scraper arm toward a free-riding position in which it forms an acute angle with respect to a flight which has left the outer end of the trough and the scraper plate bears on the inner end portion of such a flight so that the scraper plate may traverse the flight and ride off its outer end as the flight travels around the sprocket; and a cable secured to the scraper bracket and to the cable bracket and hearing on the pivot for the scraper arm, the length of said cable being such as to position the scraper plate at a predetermined angle with respect to the front face of the flight leaving the outer end of the trough when the arm is in its free-riding position, said cable being adapted to wrap partly around the scraper arm pivot as the scraper traverses the flight so as to rock the scraper bracket on its pivot and maintain the predetermined angle between the scraper plate and the flight.

7. The device of claim 6 in which the scraper bracket is free to turn rearwardly against the tension of the spring to permit the scraper plate to override any relatively fixed obstructions on the front face of the flight.

8. In a barn gutter cleaner having a frame, a trough on the frame which has an open outer end, a continuous chain which travels around a sprocket mounted on a shaft journalled in the frame adjacent the outer end of the trough, and spaced flights having their inner ends secured to the chain to carry gutter refuse along and off the end of the trough, flight scraper means comprising: a mounting bracketdetachably secured to theframe adjacent the sprocketrwhich 'extends outwar dly' so that a-flight traveling around" the sprocket swings towardit, said bracket; having an open-ended-hollow bearing at its outer end' so that it may be mounted with either end of the bearing at the top; a scraper arm which has a mountingstub at one enddetachably pivoted'in said bearing and-a scraper :stub atthe other end which 'is parallel 'tothe mounting stub, said 'arrn' extending at right angles :taothe' axis of' the bearing for swinging movement int a plane generally parallel to the-path of the flig'hts traveling around the sprocket; a flight scraper:havingamupwardly extending open-endedhollow bushin'g detachably pivoted on: the scraper-stub; and-spring means urging-"said arm'ztoward a free-riding position with an 'edge-ofthe scraper in..:surface contact with the inner end portion of azflight' which has left the outer end of the "trough; the relative positions of the sprocket shaft and the hollow'bearingon the'mounting bracket being such that the scraper traverses the flight and rides off its outer "end as the flighttravclstaround the sprocket.

9; In a b'arngut ter cleaner having-a rframe," a trough on the frame which has an-open outer/- end, a continuous chain which travels around a sprocket-"mountedon va shaft journalled in the frame adjacent thewouter endof the trough, andspaced flights" having their inner ends secured to the chain to carry gutter-refuse alonglaud off the end of the troughiflight scraper means" comprising: a mountin'g 'bracket detaohably-secured' to'the'frame' adjacent the sprocket which extends outwardly so that a flight traveling around the sprocket swings toward it, said bracket having an open-ended hollow bearing at its outer end so that it may be mounted with either end of the hearing at the top; a scraper arm which has a mounting stub at one end detachably pivoted in said bearing and a scraper stub at the other end which is parallel to the mounting stub, said scraper arm extending at right angles to the axis of the bearing for swinging movement in a plane generally parallel to the path of the flights traveling around the sprocket; a flight scraper having an upwardly extending open-ended hollow bushing detachably pivoted on the scraper stub; spring means urging said arm toward a free-riding position with an edge of the scraper in surface contact with theinner end portion of a flight which has left the outer end of the trough; and means for rocking the scraper about the scraper stub so that it normally lies at a constant angle to the front face of the flight as it traverses the flight.

10. In a barn gutter cleaner having a longitudinal frame flanked by a delivery trough and a return trough which have open ends, a continuous chain which travel along the inner walls of both troughs and around a sprocket journalled on the frame, and spaced flights secured to the chain to carry refuse along and ofl. the end of the delivery trough, flight scraper means comprising: a mounting bracket detachably secured to the frame above the sprocket and extending outwardly across the line of travel of the chain around the sprocket; a scraper carrying arm mounted on a pivot on said bracket for swinging movement in a plane generally parallel to the path of the flights traveling around the sprocket; a flight scraper mounted on a pivot on the free end of the arm, said scraper having an upright scraping edge generally parallel to the front face of a flight to scrape said face; and means urging said arm toward a free-riding position with said scraping edge in the path of the inner end portion of a flight which has left the outer end of the delivery trough, the relative positions of the sprocket shaft and the arm pivot being such that the scraper traverses the flight and rides off its outer end as the flight travels around the sprocket.

11. In a barn gutter cleaner having a frame, a trough on the frame which has an open outer end, a continuous chain which travels around a sprocket mounted on a shaft journalled in the frame adjacent the outer end of the trough, and spaced flights having their inner ends secured to the chain to carry gutter refuse along and off the end of the trough, flight scraper means comprising: a mounting bracket on the frame adjacent the sprocket which extends outwardly so that a flight traveling around the sprocket swings toward it, said bracket having an open-ended hollow hearing at its outer end so that it may be mounted with either end of the hearing at the top; a scraper arm which has a mounting stub at one end detachably pivoted in said bearing and a scraper stub at the other end which is parallel to the mounting stub, said arm extending at right angles to the axis of the bearing for swinging movement in a plane generally parallel to the path of the flights traveling around the sprocket; a flight scraper having a bracket which extends longitudinally of the scraper and is provided with an open-ended hollow bushing detachably pivoted on the scraper stub, said bracket having an upright stud on each side of the bushing in the plane of the scraper, and said scraper having a scraping edge generally parallel to the front face of a flight to scrape said face and a riding edge to scrape the top of a flight; a cable bracket on the mounting bracket adjacent the arm mounting stub; a scraper rocker cable secured to said cable bracket and to one of said studs; and a tension spring secured to the mounting stub and to the other of said studs, the attachment of said cable and of said spring to the studs on said scraper bracket being reversible so that the scraper may be selectively mounted with the mounting bracket at either side of the sprocket to scrape flights passing off a trough positioned on either side of the sprocket.

12. In a barn gutter cleaner having a trough with an open end, a continuous chain which travels along a wall of the trough and off the open end thereof, and spaced flights which have their inner ends secured to the chain and which extend across the trough to carry refuse along and off the end of the trough, flight scraper means comprising: bracket means mounted adjacent the chain; a scraper carrying arm pivotally mounted on said bracket means; a flight scraper pivotally mounted on the free end of the arm, said scraper having an upright scraping edge at one side of the pivot for scraping the front of a flight and having a spring anchor at the other side of the pivot; a tension spring one end of which is secured adjacent the arm pivot and the other end of which is secured to said spring anchor, said spring being adapted to urge the scraper arm to a position in which the scraper is close to the chain and in the path of a flight which has left the open end of the trough, and to pivot the flight scraper on the arm; and means for limiting pivotal movement of said scraper in response to the urging of the spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,636,593 Baehr Apr. 28, 1953 

